A. Last Week Before the  Marathon

• Feeling Sick? After the 18 weeks of marathon training culminating in a 20 mile run, your resistance is low. Many runners get sick in the weeks and days leading up to the marathon. I consider this my "lucky cold" because it usually clears up by marathon day. To minimize the chance of catching a cold, do what health care workers do: practice good handwashing, especially after shaking hands. And visit your friend with the sick kids AFTER the Marathon!
• Hungry? Of course you are. Your body is accustomed to burning off an extra 3000 more calories per week, but this week you are at rest. Try not to pig out. No point adding extra pounds just before the race. So just eat healthy food that does not upset your stomach, and avoid extra fats and grease. Think about emphasizing veggies and complex carbohydrates.
• Confirmation Book. It has a lot of useful information. Read it.
• Missed the 20 mile run? Do NOT try to make it up now and then run Chicago. Here are some alternatives: If you did the 18, you can probably do the Chicago marathon anyway, depending your training the last few weeks. Call me. If all you did was the 16, you may be able to walk-run Chicago, or alternatively you may wish to do 18 or 20 at Chicago as part of your training for another fall marathon. Grand Rapids and Columbus were still open last I checked.  Call me.
• Don't Overdo It.  The schedule is a guideline, but the basic principal should be clear: very little mileage now. You are gathering your strength. If you deviate from the schedule, deviate only a smidge up, or better yet deviate down (less mileage). This "is the week to be lazy", as Chuck says. Remember the stretches we did after each run? Now would be a good time to do them every day - it just takes a few minutes. If you have IT band problems, make sure you stretch and ice.
• Hydrate. Think in terms of eight full glasses of water a day, this week. But don't go crazy and over hyrdate (so your pee runs clear) because it can flush sodium out of your system. Your muscles need sodium to function at their peak. (So does your brain and heart.) So - - simply make sure you are well hydrated, without over-doing it.
• Sleep. This is a good week to give yourself several full nights of sleep. Face it: Saturday night you will be nervous and you will not get a good night's sleep. Experienced marathoners know that even if you don't sleep well on Saturday, a good night's sleep on Friday night will do the trick.  A good night of sleep on Thursday night is not as good as Friday or Saturday, but if thats what you can do, go for it!
• Expo. Go to the Expo on Friday or early on Saturday. If you've run a marathon in any other city and seen their expos, picked thru a few vendors' booths, and maybe picked up some socks or something, get ready for a pulse quickening experience. The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon is bigger than L.A., bigger than New York - its the biggest Marathon in America. And our expo is pure excitement! Thats actually dangerous, because you will be tempted to spend 3-4 hours That is too much time on your feet.  Get there on Friday or early on Saturday. Get your bib number, make sure your chip works at the testing station, and pick up your goody-bag. Then give yourself an hour or so to soak up the excitement, then go home, get off your feet, and rest. Don't forget to stop by the Pace Team booth (if you wish to do so) and get a time goal to pin on your back (thats how you "sign up" for a pace team - its free courtesy of New Balance and there is nothing to sign). More details below.
• The Chip. In smaller races, finish line management means pulling tags off the bottom of bib numbers as you line up in "chutes" at the finish line, threading them onto fish stringers (yes, fish stringers) and manually entering the results into a computer. In small races your time begins when the gun goes off and ends when you cross the finish line, so lots of people crowd toward the front. Major events and many mid-sized races use the Champion Chip which gives you a personal start time as you cross the rubber mat at the start, and an accurate finish time based on the rubber mat at the end. This means 1) No need to crowd to the front to get a "faster" time, and 2) the times you see at the mile markers are based on when the race officially started and thus are not YOUR personal time. Of course the Chicago Marathon uses the Chip. (Chicago was one of the first.)
• Cold Weather. A good rule of thumb to account for the heat you will generate while running is to dress as if its 20 degrees warmer than the actual temp. So if its 52, what would you be wearing in your backyard at 72? Another rule of thumb: To account for the fact that your body generates heat, you should be chilly at the start, but not frozen to the bone. What to wear if its cold? Think disposable, or at least something wrappable around your waist. An old long sleeve running top, old socks or old mittens if your hands are cold at the start, a windbreaker. What about running tights instead of shorts? They are certainly smart if its in the 20s (unlikely) and many runners will wear them in the 30s or 40s. As you know, one person in our group wears tights in the upper 50s.  When making your decision, remember you can take off a jacket, but taking off tights is difficult. If its raining, some runners will wear a garbage bag (poke a hole for your head). If you dispose of clothing or a garbage bag, please throw them to (at) a spectator, because dropping them on the ground can trip the runner behind you.
  

B. Last Minute Prep

Do not wait until Sunday morning to get organized. Get everything ready on Saturday before you go to bed.

• Shoes - including CARA shoe tag
• Chip attached to your shoe according to the instructions. If this is your first marathon,
• Socks
• Shorts (or pants if you choose).
• Shirt
• Race number pinned on the FRONT of your shirt
• Jog bra (women) and bandaids or other protection for your nipples (men)
• Body Glide
• Unless its raining, suntan lotion.
• Sunglasses, visor, or headband, if you prefer
• Change of clothes for after the race
• Container for beverage to drink right at the start line (small Evian bottle or whatever beverage works for you)
• Water bottle or water belt, and fanny pack, if you will be carrying them.
• Gel, if you've trained with it.
• Possibly a throw away top: e.g. windbreaker, old gloves (or socks), pajama top, whatever.
• Anything else you are using for any knee issues, such as foam roller, knee strap, etc.
• Breakfast: plan it out and get it ready.
• Here is what I do: I lay out my clothes in the shape of a little man on the floor: Little Man On The Floor

C. Marathon Morning

• Before you leave home, go to the bathroom.
• Before you leave home, make sure chip is on your shoe, your bib number is on your front (under your clothing is OK) and you have your shoe tag.
• We have our own tent, with dedicated porta-toilets (twenty) and our own gear check. Rather than use the general gear check and the general meeting place, plan on using the CARA tent. The game plan is to get downtown, get to Charity Village (your bib number will be coded) and pass thru security, then get to the CARA tent and pass thru CARA security (your shoe tag is your entry).
• Arrive early at the start. Leave plenty of time for parking, and walking to the CARA tent. If you drive, plan on arriving at downtown parking at 6:15 to 6:30 a.m. This is earlier than 2005, based on feedback from our participants. You can park and find your way (it is a long walk) to the CARA tent by 6:35-6:45 a.m., which will give you a reasonable amount of time to check your gear, visit the toilet, talk to a few friends, before heading out to the start. The later you are, the farther you will have to walk to the CARA tent, because you will get stuck parking farther away and have to fight more crowds. The later you are, the longer the lines for the toilets.
• If you are late: If you hit the parking lot at 7:00, do NOT try official gear check or checking your gear in the CARA tent - leave your stuff in the car and head directly to the start area.
• If you are taking a cab, arrange for the cab the night before or leave extra time because cabs are hard to snag. Public transit? Get off the red line at Jackson (not at Monroe, which was last year's advice). The brown line has a stop south of Madison (Jackson??) and Wabash. If you are taking the brown line make sure you exit on the EAST side of the loop (Wabash side) and not on the west side (Wells St.).
• In case of doubt as to when you should arrive, remember this is the biggest marathon in America, and over a million spectators are expected to crowd the area. Don't Be Late.
• Walking to the CARA tent is tricky this year due to added fencing. The CARA tent is on the east side of Columbus Drive.  From the North, the main street for crossing to the east side of Columbus Drive is Congress. Other cross streets close early as indicated in your 2006 confirmation brochure. From Congress, walk south on the EAST side of the fencing, going left (east) around the medical tents, to the Charity Village tent area. From the South, you can do the same at Roosevelt. You CANNOT park at South Grant Park and expect to walk to Charity Village on Jackson, or Adams. Its all blocked by the fencing.
• If a friend is dropping you off, exit the Kennedy at Congress and go as far east as reasonable, (LaSalle or Dearborn?) then drop you off. If you are coming south on Lake Shore Drive, I'm not sure whats best. Perhaps get off at Michigan Ave, turn right (West) on Wacker, and then come south to Congress on LaSalle or Clark.
• There will be dedicated porta-toilets, plus dedicated gear check, at the CARA tent. Arrive early to avoid long lines.
• When do you leave the CARA tent to walk to the Start area? Plan on 7:10, to 7:20. This is earlier than 2005 based on feedback that leaving at 7:30 as many did last year did not allow sufficient time to get into the start area. If you leave inadequate time, you may be relegated to starting the event from outside the snow fencing - what a bummer! No, this is not a joke. The crowds are HUGE.
• Follow the crowds and line up at the 11 minute pace sign. Alternatively, line up with me (and several other New Balance Pace Leaders) a smidge slower than the 11 minute pace sign, under the 5 hour pace sign. I'll try to get the 5 hour pace leaders to all wear balloons, to make us easier to see, and for a more festive event <smile!>.
• Don't plan on having friends or family see you on the course unless you are VERY SPECIFIC, or carry a cell phone. The crowds are just much too thick to see anyone. Don't rely on them to give you your gel, your lucky shirt, or whatever. Be self sufficient and carry what you need or do without.
• At all water stops, Gatorade and water will be on both sides of the street. Gatorade is usually first, with water second. Don't crowd around the first table. There will be at least 3-5 or more on each side of the street. This is the Gatorade Endurance Formula we've been training with all summer, with extra electrolytes.
• The Marathon is run on city streets and the road has a hump: a raised portion in the middle. Think about moving from one  side of the road to the other every so often, so your ankes don't tilt the same way all the time.  You can switch at the mile markers. Or at the water stops. Or every 5 miles. Or run on the center line in the middle of the road. Basically, without getting too freaked out about it, simply try not to run 10 or 20 miles on the same side of the road.

D. New Balance Pace Teams

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